A Path to Peace for Churches of Christ (guidebook + videos)

For the past generation, Churches of Christ have existed in a period of transition. Some suggest the movement is dying and should accept its fate; others suggest the movement has run its course and should blend into the larger Evangelical world. Perhaps these are true. However, there is a third way. Come listen to forgotten voices from our past as they remind us of a vibrant and healthy way forward.

PATHWAY GUIDE

Wes Crawford

GUIDEBOOK

Click below to flip through a digital guidebook, view recordings of each session, and explore resources to extend your learning. Additionally, the session videos are accessible in the Summit 2020 playlist on the Siburt Institute’s YouTube channel.

SESSIONS

T. B. LARIMORE’S WAY: I Will Never Refuse to Fellowship With Them

Douglas A. Foster

Pressed to take sides during one of the most polarized times in the Stone-Campbell movement’s history, respected evangelist T. B. Larimore refused to do so. What do Larimore’s attitudes and actions teach us about how we should respond to our own religious crisis today?

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE … LORD

Nate Reiser

As the people of Christ, we are called to be Christ’s disciples. As disciples, we are called to be subject to our governing authorities. This reality raises the challenge of following Christ within a non-Christian nation. The early restoration movement leaders also had to answer the question about their allegiance. It is helpful if we listen to the voices of some of these early leaders like Campbell, Fanning, and Lipscomb as they help us keep our focus on being followers of the Prince of Peace.

LEARNING FROM SILENA HOLMAN: Listening to Experience and Scripture

Kaley Ihfe

We have long been a tradition that places a high value on Scripture to guide us. Silena Holman’s writings in the late 1800s remind us to value the experiences of marginalized voices combined with a deep, thoughtful reading of Scripture as we seek wisdom in moving forward.

A PATH TO PEACE

Wes Crawford with Douglas A. Foster, Nate Reiser, and Kaley Ihfe

In this final session, Wes Crawford leads a discussion among the three panelists about how their presentations can point Churches of Christ toward the future. Churches of Christ in the opening decades of the 21st century exist in a moment of transition. What tools has our history given to us that might help us in our efforts to meet the challenges of our present moment?

Speakers and Pathway Guide

WES CRAWFORD

Wes Crawford is assistant professor of church history at ACU, where he also directs the Center for Restoration Studies. Before joining the faculty at ACU, he served for 20 years as a preaching minister in Churches of Christ. His areas of study and publications include Stone-Campbell movement history and the influence of race upon religion. Wes is married to Kim, and they have four children.

DOUGLAS A. FOSTER

Douglas A. Foster is university scholar in residence at Abilene Christian University, where he taught church history and directed the Center for Restoration Studies from 1991-2017. His scholarly work has centered on the Stone-Campbell movement, the idea of Christian unity, and the history of white supremacy and racial oppression in American Christianity. Married in 1979, Doug and Linda have two children and two grandchildren.

KALEY IHFE

Kaley Ihfe teaches Bible classes, speaks at retreats, writes curriculum for Bible studies, and is the director for Lavish Hope Retreats. She is the daughter of a minister and married to a minister, so she has been involved in ministry in the Churches of Christ her entire life. She and her husband, Karl, have two teenagers.

NATE REISER

Nate Reiser is the caretaker of Camp Neotez, a summer Christian camp in St. Louis, Missouri. His time at Abilene Christian has ignited a passion for the study of the restoration movement and finding ways that the past can guide the future. Nate and his wife, Christea, have been married for 25 years and have a son and daughter.